Mahler walks us through The Gods of New York: Egotists, Idealists, Opportunists, and the Birth of the Modern City, 1986–1990—how a late-'80s crucible of crime, crack, and tabloids minted characters like Spike Lee ("the coolest guy in America"), Al Sharpton, Donald Trump, Ed Koch, and Rudy Giuliani. We revisit Howard Beach, Yusuf Hawkins, Do the Right Thing, and the media ecosystem that turned norm-breaking into power, alongside the policy tradeoffs (SROs, development, homelessness) that still echo today. It's a brisk tour of the years when New York became the prototype for how America lives now. Plus: how to read diplomatic reporting—and why Hamas yielded when its only real leverage was other people's bodies.

Produced by Corey Wara

Production Coordinator Ashley Khan

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